Current Oman Travel: Security Situation & On-Site Assessment

In the classic travel regions - Muscat, the tour routes in the north, and Salalah - trips are currently running without restrictions; there is no travel warning for these areas. However, the Foreign Office advises against traveling to the exclave of Musandam and to the immediate border region with Yemen – both areas are outside our travel routes. Our team lives and works in Muscat and Salalah in normal daily life; all trips in recent months could be carried out as scheduled.

An honest answer also includes: Between early March and mid-July 2026, targets on Omani territory were repeatedly attacked – ports, industrial and military facilities, not the travel destinations. Since then, attacks have been directed at ships, some of them in Omani waters, most recently on 07.10. off Musandam and on 11.10. at the Sohar anchorage. Whether travel is right for you personally remains your decision. What we can contribute: weekly checked facts, transparency also about what is not going well, and a conversation with people who have just been there.

No, there is no nationwide travel warning. The Foreign Office lifted the travel warning in early May 2026; on June 23, 2026, the initially existing urgent advice against travel was also removed. Since July 13, 2026, travel to the exclave of Musandam at the Strait of Hormuz has been advised against, and since July 21, 2026 also travel to the immediate border region with Yemen; both remain unchanged. Additionally, the Foreign Office points out an increased abstract threat of terrorist attacks in the region.

What the various levels mean, we explain in the box below these questions - the terms are often confused.

Yes, and they were more than isolated incidents. Between early March and mid-July 2026, Omani territory was repeatedly attacked from the air and at sea. The most severe events: On March 11, two fuel tanks caught fire at the port of Salalah, and port operations were suspended. On March 13, an attack hit the industrial area of Al-Awahi near Sohar - two people died, ten were injured. On March 28, the port of Salalah was hit again. Other affected areas included Duqm, Bukha, Khasab, and several ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Since mid-July, attacks have been directed at ships, some of them in Omani waters: most recently, a tanker was struck about 17 kilometers off Limah (Musandam) on October 7 and a tanker at the Sohar anchorage on October 11. No targets on land were affected.

The pattern is clear throughout the entire period: targets were port, industrial, and military infrastructure, as well as shipping. Tourist locations were not affected at any time. The old town of Salalah, the souks, the frankincense trail, Muscat, and the classic tour routes ran normally without interruption. The affected port is in Raysut, about 15 kilometers west of Salalah city center.

One location deserves special mention: Sohar is located on the north coast between Muscat and the border with the UAE and is therefore relevant for combination trips by land. Please let us know if you plan this route. You can find the complete sequence with dates in the chronology on this page.

The Foreign Office currently advises against travel to Musandam; on July 12, 2026, there were drone attacks there, which Oman officially condemned. Ships also continue to be attacked in the waters off Musandam, most recently a tanker about 17 kilometers off Limah on October 7, 2026; the injured crew members were treated in Khasab. For context: Musandam is an exclave at the Strait of Hormuz, separated from the Omani mainland by the territory of the UAE and about 360 kilometers in a straight line from Muscat - reachable by land only with transit through the UAE. Musandam is not part of our travel routes and is not currently offered by us.

We state this clearly because transparency is the foundation of every assessment - especially where the news is uncomfortable.

Yes. Muscat Airport (MCT) has been continuously open, and the Omani airspace has remained operational. Oman was even the most important southern bypass corridor during the conflicts when other airspaces in the region were closed.

There have still been individual cancellations. Muscat remains removed from the Lufthansa Group flight schedule, and flights from Frankfurt and Munich are also cancelled; the Lufthansa Group has not yet announced a resumption (status 27.10.2026). On October 23, 2026, it also postponed its return to Dubai: citing the situation and outlook in the Middle East, it now plans to serve Dubai again from November 25, 2026. Travel via Dubai with the Lufthansa Group is therefore not an alternative for the time being. Since mid-July, the European aviation safety authority EASA has indicated in a conflict zone bulletin not to fly over waters in the Gulf of Oman within the Muscat FIR west of 58 degrees east. The current revision CZIB-2026-07R3 was extended on 30.09.2026 until 16.11.2026 and leaves this recommendation for the Muscat FIR unchanged; this may lead to changed approach routes. We check the connections for each request individually and will tell you openly which route is currently reliable.

Salalah, the old town, the souks, and the attractions of the region were not affected at any time - with the exception of the port of Raysut, located about 15 kilometers west of the city, which was hit twice in March 2026. That’s infrastructure, not a tourist area.

The immediate border region with Yemen begins about 150 kilometers west of Salalah and lies outside all our travel routes; the Foreign Office has advised against traveling there since July 21, 2026. The current conflict situation in western Yemen on the Red Sea is taking place more than 1,000 kilometers away from Salalah.

There is no travel warning for the areas we visit; thus, the most common exclusion reason in travel insurance is eliminated. Whether and to what extent your policy applies depends on its terms - please clarify this directly with your insurer. If desired, we will provide you with a written confirmation of your travel route. If you do not yet have travel insurance, we recommend getting one regardless of the current situation.

We currently offer very flexible cancellation conditions - regardless of how the political situation develops and independent of an official travel warning. We will discuss the specific conditions before your booking in a personal conversation, so you know exactly what you are dealing with.

Our team in Muscat and Salalah is available via a 24-hour number throughout your trip. Should the situation change at short notice, we will be in direct contact with you, adjust the route if necessary, or organize an early return in case of emergency.

Yes, family trips are currently taking place normally. The Foreign Office describes the crime rate and the risk of violent crimes in Oman as very low. For planning trips with children, the same assessments apply as for all other trips: the classic routes are not affected, Musandam and the Yemen border region are not being visited.

Combination trips are basically possible, but the assessment depends heavily on the specific route - we do not assess the situation in the UAE broadly. One point is important to us: If the route runs over land along the north coast, it passes Sohar, where the industrial area of Al-Awahi was hit on March 13, 2026; on October 11, 2026, a tanker at the Sohar anchorage was also struck by a drone – no target on land. Please specifically contact us with combination requests; we will advise you on the current situation on your desired route. For your journey: on October 23, 2026, the Lufthansa Group postponed its return to Dubai to November 25, 2026; until then, Dubai is not an alternative to Muscat with the Lufthansa Group.

Yes – our camp in the Wahiba Sands has been open since mid-September. The Wahiba Sands are located on the classic tour route and were not affected by events at any time. Our Canvas Club team is looking forward to welcoming all guests this season.

The hotels are currently underutilized and are therefore repeatedly offering attractive deals. With our tour guides, whom we have all personally known for many years, we can draw from a wealth of resources. In a country where mass tourism is already low, it is currently even quieter than usual - oases, desert, and mountains can be experienced in peace.